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Red Oak Grove
Located amidst the forest area just north of Draad's Demise, Red Oak Grove had been the center of surrounding village life almost since it's establishment 397 years ago. It began simply enough. A few druids settled down in a cozy part of the red oak forest, shaping surrounding wood and stone to create shelter for themselves. Although they mostly kept to themselves, keeping the balance of nature in their relatively small area of influence, they also interacted with villagers from a small village not 10 miles west. The original name of that village has been lost, as everyone now called it "Old Town" because it was the first known village established before the existance of the grove. The Red Oak druids traded their skills in herbalism and magic for goods they could not efficiently produce themselves. Soon, word spread that there were willing and able helping hands available in the grove for those in need. Old Town prospered and grew while new settlements sprouted up to also take advantage of the benefits given by the grove. The grove also prospered. What began as a handful of half-elf druids grew to a dozen households as they formed families as well as took on those in the village inclined to druidic ways. Before long, Red Oak Grove was bustling with lively activities of little ones, who in turn grew up and had families of their own. Most of those born in the grove stayed in the grove or married into a nearby village. The druids thus extended their area of influence to the hundred or so households in the surrounding villages framed by the mountain ranges from the north, east, and south. They taught the villagers ways of life that were in tune with nature. Instead of decimating the red oaks for lumber, villagers only took naturally felled trees or those marked by the druids. Under advice of the grove, their small plots of land were farmed in rotation to avoid depleting the soil. They raised only a few sheep, goats and chickens to provide the needed wool and food products. Many of the villagers also trained to be rangers and hunted game in the forest under monitoring by the grove to ensure that no species of game fell too low in number. The grove itself was lead by the Elders, a group of five venerated druids agreed upon by everyone to be the wisest and most suitable for leading. Although the word of an elder is not necessarily law, the suggestion was taken very seriously and usually followed. The grove's success attracted more druids and some rangers to take residence; amongst the half-elves and humans were now quite a few gnomes, a half-orc, and a single dwarf. They resided either in "tree houses" amidst branches shaped to provide cover or stone hovels sturdy on the ground, depending on their preferences. On the first of every month, villagers from around the grove gathered in the grove for market day where they traded their goods for the goods of others. Although no currency was used, nearly everyone was satisfied with the simple barter system. Autumn market days were especially eagerly anticipated not only because of the bountiful harvest, but because of the stunning beauty of the red oak trees, bathed in rouge. Spring market days were no less anticipated after a long winter without much trade and interaction between people. Though the winters in the grove itself were never extremely harsh, the surrounding villages had no such respite. Summer market days often doubled as wedding days for couples engaged to be married. With a tight-knit community such as the grove and the villages, everyone wanted to be present for a joyous event such as a wedding.